Abandoned
by Sand n' Sable
Summary: Albert and Willie stumble on a old, abandoned place that leads to an adventure of a lifetime for them. Warning-This is not your typical, happy go lucky Little House on the Prairie story. Dark themes will be used.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N-This is set after the series went off the air, the town never blew up and the Ingall family never left town and Willie is still married to Rachel. **

**I was given the word 'Abandoned' as a word prompt. And something about this time of year makes me think of Little House.**

**Thank you to the world of Fan fiction, I can write the stories the way I want! LOL !**

Albert was driving the wagon and he looked at his friend Willie sitting next to him, Willie had his eyes closed. Albert took a quick look back at the horses then he leaned over to Willie and said, "Wake up!"

Albert quickly turned his attention to the horses, to make sure they were going straight than Willie said with his eyes still closed, "I'm awake, who can sleep?"

Albert then asked, "DIdn't you get any sleep?"

Willie stretched then yawned then said, "Oh, I got a cat nap here, there..."

Albert watches the horses a bit more than he said, "Here's what I'm thinking, we're just a few hours out of Tracy's, it's just a few hours more to Walnut Grove; why don't we stop for the night, make camp for the night then get up and go on home in the morning?"

Willie shook his head, smiled then said, "Sounds fine to me."

Albert then said, "Let's go up a ways, I remember a perfect spot for camping."

They go on up the road then see a beautiful, wide spot on the side of the road. On the other side of the clearing is outlined with trees, a few rocks scattered around but enough room for a campfire and to set out some bedrolls. The boys hop down, stretch their bones and look around. Albert went to the horses and freed them from the wagon, led them over to a thick, rich area of grass to let them eat then when he turned to go back to Willie, he find his friend looking in the woods.

Albert then asked him, "Willie, what's back there?"

Willie turned to look at him then waved him over and said, "Come here, come look at this."

Albert sighed then went over, looked in and at first he doesn't see anything but then when he looked in the woods further, he saw an old path that was only big enough for a wagon. He followed it with his eyes and saw an outline of a building in the distance then Willie said, "Come on."

"You want to go in there? You don't want to rest?" Albert asked him. Willie nodded his head then said, "No, come on man, don't you want to have an adventure before you go to medical school?"

Albert smiled then went in the woods and asked his friend, " You miss doing this don't you?" Willie nodded his head then said, "Yeah, don't get me wrong, I love being married to Rachel and I'm excited...and nervous about becoming a father but I miss doing this like we did just a few years ago."

Albert heard the crunch of breaking of sticks under his feet and moves the limbs in front of his face out-of-the-way then he said, "Yeah, we did do a lot of crazy things." Willie shook his head then said, "Yeah, that's why I like doing this, just going in the woods and finding an old abandoned house feels good."

Albert looked ahead than they come to the path, get on then Albert said, "Yeah, I bet you are glad now that Nancy smoked out the kitchen now aren't you?"

Willie laughed then said, "Yeah, well, the kitchen needed repainting anyway and I needed to go to Fairlawn to get those dishes mother ordered for the restaurant." Albert then asked Willie, "Arent' those dishes a little too fancy for the restaurant?" Willie chuckled then said, "Yeah, but you know my mother but she does say they are only for special guests on special occasions."

Albert chuckled and he looked down at his feet watching his steps then he started to say something, "Willie, how does your mother..." suddenly he stopped, looked around then asks his friend, "Do you feel that?"

Willie looked around then asked, "What?"

He pulled his coat closer together then he asked Willie, "You didn't feel that wind?"

Willie looked at his friend then he smiled and said, "Oh, you're just feeling the draft in your head, come on; we're almost there."

Albert shook his head and they walked on and they come to the building, which they realize is built like a small fortress. The crudely cut wood was falling from the walls, it was 20 feet long but every five feet a darker plank of wood and in the center, they looked up and it was a tall tower built with a watch tower on top with a small roof covering it. The young man's excitement was building on their faces than Albert asked, "What is this?"

Willie looked around and he said, "I don't know, was it an Army fort?"

Albert shrugged his shoulders than Willie said, "Well, let's go in."

Albert nodded his head than he followed his friend inside the old, abandoned fort or whatever it was...the inside is just as dirty, branches from the trees outside poke here and there in the walls, there are no windows and they look down the long hallway in the middle of the place and they see a set of large doors that led to the outside grounds that is surrounded by the broken where they are, they start walking around and see small rooms with nothing in them but poorly built homemade beds then Willie said, "Hey, I think I know what this is."

Albert looked at him then he asked, "What?"

Will then said with child like enthusiasm, "A prison."

Albert looked around and he said, "What? Wow...sure, it makes sense, look at the small rooms, only big enough for one man."

They started to move around and go to one of the prison rooms when Willie looked down and he said, "Look Albert."

Albert looked back and he saw Willie pick something up from the dirt...a pair of handcuffs, they were round cuffs that went around the wrist, the locking mechanism looked like a small bar and they were connected by a chain. Willie then said, "Well, this proves it."

Albert goes over to touch the cuffs then said, "I guess it does."

Willie "dances" the cuffs in the air then said, "Man, these are heavy."

Albert nodded his head then said, "I heard they were, weighs about a pound."

Willie agrees then said, "Yeah, that's what they feel like."

Albert asked, "Are you going to keep them?"

Willie nodded his head then said, "Sure, why not? Nobody else is using them."

Albert chuckled then said "Yeah." Then turned to go back to the rooms then Willie said, "Hey Albert, I'll be outside."

Albert turned to look at his friend then asked, "What's wrong? You chickening out?"

"No" said Willie and he said rather quickly, "I got something to do."

He leaves rather quickly than Albert smiled, softly chuckled as he realized nature was calling his best friend so he went back to looking around. But as he did he felt that same cold wind that he did earlier then he started feeling like someone...or something was watching him. He slowly turned around but he doesn't see anything but then...he saw and felt something...like a black mass rush past him then ran back across him then finally, everything became still, no sounds of the forest, no leaves rustling on the ground then the apparition appears. It's like looking though a dark glass, the man is there but he is not, he is dressed in rags...something like a prisoner would wear...his pants are torn, his shirt? Well, it looked more like a torn dishrag, his hair was pulled back in a ponytail and his eyes , he or whatever didn't have any eyes, they were torn out with blackish blood running down, the blood was the only color on him.

He just kept looking at Albert then he opened his mouth and said in a voice that wasn't of this world asked him, "WHERE ARE MY EYES?"

Then Albert is thrown against the wall but then everything is still, it's like nothing has happened but he knows something did. He shook the cobwebs out of his head then he stood up, looked around then ran out of the building, he ran into Willie who was coming back then Willie asked, "What's wrong?"

Albert looked around then he smiled then said, "Oh nothing, I'm just...hungry, ready to eat that Deer chili Ma made for us ."

Willie smiled then said, "Yeah, I am too, come on, let's go back to camp; I got my handcuffs."

Albert tried to give a chuckle but he just managed to say, "Yeah, let's go."

The men turn and leave, Albert looked back at the broken down prison and wonders about what just happened to him.

**Sand n' Sable**

**A/N-I know this isn't your typical LHOP story but please review.**


	2. Chapter 2 Sitting around the Table

Albert was driving the wagon down the long road to his house. He stopped on top of the tall hill in front of his house and looked down at the little house where his parents , brother and sisters lived. He then saw his paw walking to the barn . Albert felt the wind blowing a bit more colder than it was yesterday, he nudged the horses on to his home then when he was almost at the bottom, his paw came out from the barn, saw his son coming home and he smiled then waved enthusiastically. Albert pulled up in front of the barn and his paw said, "Hey Albert!"

Albert smiled, stopped the horses then got down, his paw came over and they hugged then Charles asked him, "Well, how was the trip?" Albert didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded his head then Charles slaps him on the upper arm then said,

"Go on inside, your mother just about has lunch ready, I'll put the team up."

Albert nodded his head then went inside. The moment he opened the door, he felt the warmth of the fire going, he loved the smell the fire gave in the little house. He looked over and saw his beautiful mother cooking the meal in the kitchen on the wood stove, she smiled then she asked him, "How was your trip?"

He smiled, took off his coat , turned around and hung it on the coat rack by the door then he said, "It was fine." He goes over to the kitchen sink, pumps some water in then washes his hands, dries them; looked around the house then said, "The house is so quiet without the kids."

Caroline sadly smiled then said, "Grace's first year of school."

Albert looked at her then said, "They'll be home in a few hours."

She looked at her oldest son, smiled then Charles came in the door then said, "It's getting cold."

Albert nodded his head in agreement then said, "It seemed like every mile we traveled, the temperture dropped."

Caroline then said, "Sit down, I'll set the table; everything is ready to eat."

Both Albert and his Paw sit down and as Caroline goes to get 3 plates, bowls, then the knives and forks. Charles then looked at his son then said, "I want to thank you son for doing that delerivery for me , with the mill getting so busy these days; it's hard for Edward and I to get away."

Albert gave a small smile then shrugged his shoulders then said, "Oh, it was no problem, Willie had to go over there to pick up those dishes for his mother so I thought it would be fun for he and I to do this before I leave."

Caroline pours pea soup in the bowls for all three of them and she catches the word "thought" then she asked Albert as she sat down, "It wasn't?"

Albert then said to her, "Oh no, it was! It was just more...interesting. Willie and I stopped outside of Tracy to camp, I know it wasn't to far to Walnut Grove but we were so tired, anyway, when we did; Willie was looking around in the woods and we found this old trail and it lead to this, um, old building that was falling apart. We went in, did some looking around and figured out it was an old prison, he even took some handcuffs we found as a souvernior."

Caroline's eyes go round and she said, "My word!"

Albert looked at his paw, hesitated then asked, "Have you ever heard of a prison out that way Paw?"

At first, Charles shook his head no to the question then he said, "Oh! I remember the old timers talking about a prison somewhere, that must have been it. From what I remember, they closed the place in 1840 sometime, they take the prisoners to Redding now I believe."

Albert nonchantly shrugged his shoulders then Caroline said, "Can we say the blessing now? I got ham slices getting cold as we speak."

Charles smiled then he said, "Well, we can't have that can we?..."

Charles and Caroline closed their eyes for the blessing, Albert bows his head in respect but then he slowly looked at his adoptive parents and he thought,

_'What can I tell them? Oh, maw, paw; I also saw this ghost prisoner and he demanded that I tell him where his eyes are. Yeah, that will go over great. What was it? Maybe I dreamed the whole thing but...I know it was...real...what am I going to do?'_

Charles finished the prayer then they go on to eat the pea soup with Albert wondering to himself about the whole thing.

**A/N-From what I looked up, lunch back then was the biggest meal of the day. **

**Sand n' Sable**


	3. Chapter 3 Going To Prison

Albert was walking around his parents farm looking at the chickens then he looked at his Paw hitching up the team of horses for him. A white chicken then ran in front of him squawking at something, Albert laughed then he finally got to one of the lead horses, patted him then ran his fingers along the fresh brushed mane then he asked Charles, "Paw, are you sure this is okay?" Charles was just finishing up, so he stood up then turned and looked at his son then said,

"Absolutely. Edwards and I are going to be at the mill all day finishing up the last few big orders so there's no reason you shouldn't take the wagon out for the day."

Albert smiled then said, "Thanks Paw."

Charles walked around the horses and wagon one last time checking everything then he said, "Looks like everything is in order, have a good day son. Which direction are you going?"

Albert looked thoughtful then he said, "Oh, not far but I thought I would go toward Tracy."

Charles shook his head then said, "Let me say goodbye to your mother then you can take me to the mill."

Charles smiled, patted his son on the shoulder then goes toward the house while Albert looked around thoughtfully.

(((oOo)))

Albert slowly drove the wagon up to the spot where he found the abandoned prison with his friend Willie. He got down, looked around, took a breath then walked up to the woods, he walked in and looked around then saw the small path that they took a few days ago. He brushed a tree limb out of his face and wondered why he was doing this, maybe what he saw was his imagination...the path started getting more distinct so he kept pushing himself, he then saw the outline of the place he came to look at.

He finally got up to it and his breath started to shorten but he also felt foolish for being here. Then just as he picked up his foot to step on the broken down porch , he heard some leaves rustling than a voice asked him, "What are you doing here?" Albert froze in his mid step, turned his head then saw a man in his 60's with grey coming in around his temples, old tired eyes, he had a long beard, almost down to his stomach then Albert smiled then went over, offered his hand for the man to shake then said, "Oh, I, um, found this place the other day and I came back to explore it more."

The man nodded his head, shook Albert's hand then looked up at the broken down, abandoned place and sadly sighed. Albert looked at him then asked, "Do you live around here?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, raked his greying beard then said, "Ah, I live in a shack down the road about a mile or two."

Albert nodded his head then he looked at the old prison then asked, did you know somebody who lived here?"

The old man looked at him then he simply said, "I did."

Albert's eyes go huge as he realized the man was a prisoner at that very place then he asked, "You were here?"

The man shook his head then said, "I came here when I was 17 then two years later, we moved to Stillwater...got out ten years later so I came back to this area a few years ago."

Albert thinks about all the time frame the man gave him then he said, "So you're...?"

The man shrugged his shoulders then he said, "In my 40's, near 50 , I believe."

Albert then said, "I'm sorry, I just thought you were older."

The man nodded his head, "It's living a hard life son by the way, name is Luke."

They shook hands again than Albert looked around then casually asked, "I guess you must have a lot of memories of this place."

The man went and sat down on a rock then he said, "Some, none of them are any good but I come back here over and over to remind myself of how I messed up my life ."

Albert then asked the man, "Um, what did you do to stay here?"

Luke looked at Albert then told him, "I robbed a few banks and I got stupid enough to think that I wouldn't get caught. They caught me all right, got me like a sheep caught in a wolf's mouth."

Albert looked down at the ground and kicked a small rock away then he cleared his throat then said, "I bet you saw a lot of things inside this prison."

The man nodded his head, then said, "A lot of guys tried to escape from here, some made it but most were punished for it. There was fights, men acting like wild dogs with each other."

Albert thought about that then asked, "What kind of weapons did they use? I imagine there couldn't be many, being in there."

Luke made a scoffing sound then said, "Son, you'd be surprised what they can do in prison, I don't know how he did it but there was one guy I was in there with that made a weapon that I still have nightmares over."

Albert slowly looked up at him and asked in a low voice, "What?"

"A spoon." Luke told him. Albert snickered and asked in a disbelief, "A spoon? What's so bad about a spoon."

Luke shook his head then said, "You don't understand, we only called it a spoon because of its shape, it had these tiny...spikes on the side of it that he made then he or anybody who used it, could gouge somebody with it."

That captures Albert's attention, he looked at Luke and he nervously asked him, "Gouged? How did he make the weapon?"

Luke shrugged his shoulders then said, "He stole a couple of handcuffs, a few other items from here and there around the prison, got himself put in solitary so he made them without any bother from anybody else then when he got out; went after the person with deadly intentions."

Albert's pulse starts racing and his breath quickens then he asked, "What did he do?"

Luke slowly looked up at him than said, "He found the man he was going after, his sworn enemy; he got him the coward's way out to me, from behind, without any fair warning. Got him down on the ground, beat him senseless then with that weapon he made, took his eyes out. Mercy came and the man died not long after."

Albert gulped then he said, "The man died without his eyes?"

Luke shook his head sadly than said, "Sorrowful thing to be buried without your eyes."

Luke stood up and went to go look around the old prison, looks at the wood falling down here and there, holes in the walls that still stood; sunlight beaming through those holes than Albert asked him another question, "Who was he?" Luke turned around to him and asked, "Hm?"

"The man, the one who died without his eyes, who was he?"

Luke thinks about it then said, "I was there only six months when it happened but I think his name was Zak...I think it was one of those Frenchy names...G, Gag..Gagnon. Why?"

Albert took quick control of himself than shrugged his shoulders then said, "I just ...wanted to put a name to his face." Luke laughed then said, "He was a handsome man from what I recall, I think that's why it was so shocking to see that, it even shook the most hardened man in that place; it was never the same then it was two years after that when we left. Everybody was glad to leave the place."

Luke opened the door to the place, the loud creak on the rusty hinge gave Albert a shiver that he felt down to the very core of his body. They walked on broken floorboards, through the dirt, the fallen leaves and sticks, they walked around and saw the same thing Albert saw the other day. The empty rooms with walls falling in...Albert saw the room in where the...ghost or something of Zak threw him around in. No words are spoken from Albert or Luke, they just look around, until they get to the long hallway leading to the outside and that's when Albert gasped like he just fell in a hole. Luke looked at him then asked, "What's wrong?"

Albert looked around, his mind was racing but then he asked in a soft, raspy voice, "Is, is this where it happened?" Albert pointed to an area on the old floorboards then Luke looked at that spot then said, "I think so, boy, are you all right?"

Albert held his hand to his chest then took a few deep breaths then he slowly looked up and he could have sworn, he saw a faint outline of the ghost he saw the other day, a tall man about 5' 7" with short black hair in torn prison clothes but with blood over his face falling from his empty eye sockets.


	4. Chapter 4 Strangers On The Road

**A/N- I would like to give my personal thanks to Ultimatelaurafan who helped me with this story and Paintedwings 77 who helped me with translation. I will put translations on the sentences at the end of the story.**

**Thank you to my beta for helping me with this chapter.**

Albert was slowly driving the wagon home but his mind was barely on driving. He was thinking about the tale that the old man told him. He wondered if Luke was telling him something to scare him...he had seen things himself that told him what he saw could exist. Still, couldn't his mind be playing tricks on him? Couldn't...

Just than he felt the wagon jolt to one side. He looked down and saw a rather large rock that he would have seen if he had actually been looking at the road. He sighed, put down the reins, and then jumped down to look at the damage. A rather, large broken area in the wheel then he walked around to the front and looked at the horses then softly said, "Isn't your fault, I should have looked; it was my fault." He patted one of the horses on the face then he looked around. He went back to the broken wheel and muttered, "Not sure what I am going to do, still too far away from Tracy and too far away..."

Just then he heard what heard like a wagon come driving up to him. He turned around. Sure enough, he saw a wagon coming his way. It was a man and woman. The woman was waving to let him know they were friendly, Albert waved back and a few moments later the man pulled up, "Hello Stranger, need some help?"

Albert looked at the man; he was in his middle thirties, stocky built with brown hair, brown eyes and one could detect a strong French accent in his voice. The woman with him was a tiny, blonde hair woman with blue eyes that sparkled; she hadn't spoken but she had an aurora about her that put Albert instantly at ease. He looked up at the couple then he looked back at his broken wheel and answered, "Yeah, it seem I do but I don't know how to fix it."

The man started smiling wide. "I do! I work on wheels!"

Albert smiled then asked the man, "Who are you? Are you a wheelwright?"

The man shook his head vigorously then replied, "I'm sorry, I'm not showing my manners. I'm Anastace and this is my wife, Belle."

Belle nodded her head as her husband handed her the reigns. Afterward, he jumped down, looked over the wheel. As he looked at it, Albert told him, "I don't have any money."

Anastance waved his hand though the air. "You are stranger on road, no? We stopped to help you, don't need money for that."

Albert looked up at Belle then back at her husband and smiled. "Thanks."

Anastance smiled, stood up, dusted his breeches off then said, "Come on, I got a rope in my wagon, we'll take the wheel off then take it to my house."

Albert smiled then went to go help Anastace do as he had asked. After all, he had to have things fixed as soon as possible.

(((oOo)))

As they drove up to the house, two small boys came out to welcome them. Anastace stopped the wagon, got down and lovingly hugged the twin boys. He turned to Albert who was untying the horses' reigns from the back of the wagon so they would follow them.

Anastace had a smile as wide and long as ten miles as he introduced his sons. "These are my boys. This is Jerome." He pointed to the boy on his left. Jerome nodded his head. Anastace then pointed to the son on his right, "And this is Giles."

Giles gave an exaggerated army salute. Jerome rolled his eyes as his father explained. "He thinks he is in the Army."

Giles looked at his brother with anger in his eyes. He didn't appreciate his brother rolling his eyes when their father told their visitor that he, Giles, thought he was in the Army. He put his little hands on his hips and shouted at his brother, "I will be!"

Anastance rolled his eyes while Albert tried to hold his laughter in. Turning to his boys, he snapped just loud enough to catch his boys attention. "Boys! Is that anyway to act in front of our guest? Take his horses and put them in the barn."

The boys both hung their heads and said, "Yes, poppa."

Jerome took the reins to one horse while his brother took the reigns to the other one. They then headed for the barn. Anastance looked at Albert's wheel in the back of Anastace's wagon. "Zut* ! I better get to work on the wheel!"

Anastace reached into the back of the wagon and, with Albert's help, got it out. He then carried over to the front barn and began to work on it. Albert watched him for a few minutes, after being told everything would be fine, started to turn to go to the porch. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the twin boys walk out of the barn. He then saw an elderly woman come out of the house.

She looked around and, seeing the young boys, yelled, "Jerome! Giles! Apportez un peu debois!"*

Anastace looked over then stood up where he'd been working and wiped his hands, since they were dirty from the oil from the wheel, "Mamen! " *

The woman turned her head slightly and looked at her son, Albert noticed that she wore all black and wondered if she was in mourning. He wondered why the older woman looked at him as if were in shock then.

When she hurried over to her son and started speaking a bit faster, Albert couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"Mamen, recontre Albert..." Anastace waved Albert over then said, "Albert, meet my mother..."

The woman turned and stared again at Albert then said in a sad voice that also had a twinge of sadness in, "Il resemble a Zac quarnd ilavait cet age.*"

She looked at Albert, nodded then looked back at her son then turned and went inside without another word. Albert looked at Anastace who looked at him, he gave him a nervous smile then went back to work on the wagon wheel. Albert just looked around in confusion.

(((oOo)))

Albert sat on the porch in an old rocking chair, holding a tin cup of water and looking out at Anastace working on the wagon wheel but...he wasn't really looking at him. No, Albert's mind was elsewhere. Anastace's mother said he looked like Zach...could it be? Zach...the prisoner?

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't see Anastace had finished working on the wagon wheel and had come up on the porch.

"Albert?"

Albert looked up at his friend. "Huh?"

The gentleman pointed to Albert's wagon wheel then said, "I finished repairing ."

Albert looked up at him mildly shocked, "Already?"

Anastace just smiled then he said, "It has been an hour! I think your mind is elsewhere? No?"

Slightly embarrassed at being caught, Albert put down his cup and stood up, "Are you sure I don't owe you anything?"

Anastace firmly shook his head , "No, come on, You come have lunch with us."

Albert smiled, "Thanks."

Once inside, Anastace went straight over to his wife and gave her a loving hug. Albert looked around the small but cozy cabin. There was a fire going in the fireplace; the flicker of the flames and the smell of the wood burning gave the house a warm feel. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Anastace's mother looking at him but she quickly turned and went back to chopping vegetables. Her words earlier and the reaction she had at his face made Albert a little nervous. He looked around the cabin then he looked at the wedding picture on the mantel of Anastace and Belle.

Albert gulped as he took a deep breath then asked, "Your mother said that I looked like somebody named Zak? Who's that?"

Anastace and Belle looked at each other and instead of answering his question, Anastace asked, "You understand French?"

Albert shrugged his shoulders then replied, "I recognized a few words. I had a teacher in school that taught us French for a while."

He remembered the time when Laura quit teaching due to Harriet Olsen's behavior and she, Mrs. Olsen had taken over the teaching poisten.

Anastace picked up a tin cup of water, walked over to the little square table, sat down and took a sip. He looked towards his mother and answered quietly. "I had a brother; his name was Zak. He died when I was a small boy."

Belle turned to look at Albert and added just as quietly, "I thought he looked like your brother when I saw him, but I did not say anything."

This took Albert by surprise since that was the first time he remembered hearing Belle speak then Albert looked at Anastace's mother . "She doesn't speak English?"

Anastance looked at his mother and smiled. "No, my mother said she is French, and she will die speaking nothing but French. She is stubborn. I think it's best not to argue with her."

Albert smiled. "My curiosity is up; how much do I look like him?"

Anastance turned to his wife, motioned for her to come with his finger and whispered in her ear. Belle nodded her head, turned and disappeared into a nearby bedroom. She came back out a few minutes later with the picture in her hand. When she came out of the bedroom then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her mother in law facing her but the elderly woman only nodded her head at her then turned to go into the room on the left of her. Belle gave a huge sigh of relief but still held the picture down in her hand and wrapped it in her full skirt then as quickly as she could, walked over to her husband to show Albert the picture.

Albert looked at the picture and his eyes bugged out. There WAS a strong resemblance. Though, Zak had a wider nose, his eyes seemed to be darker and more intense looking and his hair was the same length as Albert's but Zak's was flat and straighter. Albert's heart shuddered just a little. He looked at his host. "We sure do have a resemblance...what happened to your brother?" Albert could see Anastace hesitating before answering. It made him almost wish he hadn't asked. However, before he could tell the man he didn't have to tell him, the gentleman was speaking.

"As I said, he died when I was a boy. We just came to this country. It didn't take long for my brother to...get himself in trouble. He was sent to prison and there was fight. I don't know the details; they would never tell me but...someone killed him I gathered."

Albert could tell by the somber mood that had settled in the room that he best not ask any more questions. Belle picked up the picture and disappeared back into the bedroom. When she came out, she went to finish making the lunch for them. Anastace and Albert went into meaningless chitchat, but Albert could feel Anastace's mother watching him.

(((oOo)))

A little while later, Albert walked out to his host's wagon with a basket in his hands and Anastace was with him, Belle was standing on the porch and Anastance asked, "Are you sure you don't want to stay for awhile longer?"

Albert smiled, put the basket in the wagon then turned around and said, "Thank you but I better go on, my family is going to worry about me but thank you for the apple scones Belle , Anastace will help me get the wheel back on then he'll be back home."

She smiled then nodded her head...nobody saw but the old mother came out of the cabin by the side door but she stayed in the shadows.

The wind was whipping then Anastace said, "Scuse me, I think I'll go inside and get scarf, be right back Albert."

Albert nodded his head, buttoned his own jacket then he started to get up in the wagon, when he felt a hand on his arm, he turned around, it was Anastace's mother ! Albert saw a determination in her eyes then she said,

"Vous devez truver les yeux."

He could not believe this! He looked at the woman in disbelief then put his fingers on his temple, closed his eyes and tried his best to remember what French he learned,

"P,pourriez vous re,repeter si lvous p,plait?*."

Anastace's mother looked back at the cabin to see if her son was coming then turned back to Albert and with the same determination in her eyes, she repeats the phrase,

"Vous devez les yeux."

She than turned and went back into the shadows and quietly opened the door and went inside, a few minutes later, Anastace came back out with his warm scarf around his neck. Belle kissed him on the cheek then saw them both off. Albert didn't say a word, just got in the wagon with Anastace, picked up the reigns of the horses then snickered and they drove off.

**A/N-There was a lot of French in this chapter, here is the translations thanks to PaintedWings77-**

**"Zut"-Darn**

**"Mamen"-Mother**

**"Apprortez un peu debois"-Bring in the wood**

**"Mamen, recontre Albert"-Mother, meet Albert**

**"Il ressemble a Zach quard ilavaoit cet age-He looks like Zak at that age**

**"Vou devez truver les yeux."-You must find his eyes**

**"Pourriez vous repeter sil vous plait'-Please, say it again**

**Please read and review!**

**Sand n' Sable**


	5. Chapter 5 Willie and Rachel

Albert sat down on the porch of _'Caroline's '_ restaurant,named after his mother. He was looking over at the church that also doubled as a schoolhouse during the week. He was lost in thought when he heard, "Albert?"

He looked up and there was his best friend, Willie Olson. Willie climbed up the steps and sat down next to Albert. "Penny for your thoughts."

Albert looked up at him,smiled and replied, "Oh, hi."

Willie than asked him, "What's going on?"

Albert looked at the school-house and answered, "Just thinking about the times we had during our school days."

Willie smiled wide. "We did have some good times there, even though all the troubles my sisters caused."

Albert snickered. "Yeah, we did." Then a look that screamed he sure missed those days appeared on his face and he said, "Pa said the school board may build another room on next year."

Willie sighed and said, "Times are changing."

Albert looked around then asked him, "How was Thanksgiving? How's Rachael?"

Willie smiled as he stood up and went over and leaned against the wall of the cafe. "It was fine, Rachael made a grand meal. At least Pa had somebody to help him this time."

Albert looked up at him then asked, "You never helped him?" Willie shrugged his shoulders then said, "Pa has always done it for us. I just never..." His voice trailed off as a wistful look appeared in his eyes. One that spoke of his regret for him. After a moment, he said. "Anyway, this year was special."

Albert nodded his head knowing what his friend was talking about. "How much longer for Rachael?"

"Two more months from what the doctor said." Willie answered. "We figure the first of the year."

For a moment both friends were silent. Willie looked around the small town of Walnut Grove and then broke the silence when he asked, "Why don't you come to the house? Rachel would love to see you."

Albert gave him 'Are you kidding' smile. "Are you sure? Sundays are for family."

This time Willie smiled even wider and told him, "You are family."

Albert stood up and Willie went over , stepped down and walked around the back of the café. They went up a little path that led from the café to a log cabin: Willie and Rachel were in love with log cabins and had built one over the objections of his mother. Willie opened the door and stepped inside; Albert was right behind him. The living room was a little larger than Albert thought it needed to be, but he said nothing. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and Rachael was in the kitchen finishing up some dishes. When she heard the front door open, Rachel turned her head and saw her husband and his best friend and smiled. "Hello Albert."

Albert smiled and gave her a slight nod of his head. "Hello, Rachel."

Willie went over and hugged his wife and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. He then looked at Albert , who was still standing in the living room. "Make yourself at home. You're not a stranger you know."

Albert looked around. Even though there was a small couch and two rocking chairs by the fireplace, he choose to go sit at the square kitchen table. He pulled out a chair and continued to look around at the modest surroundings. He then looked over towards the fireplace and the pine mantel over it. Afterwards, he looked at the metal handcuffs that Willie found at the abandoned prison which were hanging next to the fireplace. He turned his head and gave Willie a smile, trying not to show how suddenly nervous he was. "This is a great place Willie, Rachel, but why did you leave the boarding house?"

Willie and Rachel looked at each other remembering how overprotective his mother continued to be. "Rachael found she was going to have a baby." Willie answered. "We wanted a place of our own so built this place. It's worked out rather nicely."

Rachel tuned back towards the stove and asked, "Would you like to have some coffee Albert?"

He nodded his head . "Yes, I would." He then looked back at the handcuffs and said quietly. "I went back there."

Rachel picked up the coffee pot and poured some coffee into a cup and handed the cup to Albert. As she put the coffee pot back down Willie asked, "Back where?"

Albert turned the cup he'd been given in his hands, took a sip then answered as he continued looking at the handcuffs, "To the prison...where you got those handcuffs."

Willie was puzzled. He could see no reason for his friend to do that. "Why?"

Albert shrugged his shoulders as he took another sip of his drink. "I took Pa's wagon...and just went riding. I don't know why; I just did. I went to Tracy and wound up in that place here we camped so...I went back to it to take a better look. I met somebody there...he was a prisoner there years ago...and he told me about some of the times men had there."

"What did he tell you?" Willie looked at Rachel, who was now listening closely to Albert's story, and then back at Albert. Willie listened as Albert told them about the story that Luke told him...about the prisoner named Zach, the fight that took Zach's eyes and, eventually, the lad's death.

When Albert was through, Willie said, "Well, maybe he was trying to scare you."

Albert drank down the last of his coffee and put the empty cup down on the table. "That's what I thought at first, but then my wagon broke down and a family stopped to help. It turned out that they were Zach's family...it was all true."

Willie's eyes opened up as wide as they possibly could. "Wow! That's quite the coincidence."

Albert said nothing as he worked up his courage, took a deep breath and asked his friend. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

Albert just sat, not moving and waited for Willie's answer. He figured Willie would burst out laughing, make fun of him or something, but instead there was silence for a few minutes. Willie looked up at his wife who had sat down beside him and put his hand over hers . "Yes, I do."

Albert was taken by surprise. It took him a few seconds to reply due to that surprise. "What? Why? I mean, why do you believe?" The tone in his voice told his friends he had expected a different reaction.

Willie looked over at his wife who hung her head down. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed, scared or nervous. Maybe it was all three. Will looked back at his friend and slowly answered, "It's because of Rachel...Rachel has a ...'_gift'_." He explained.

Rachel raised her head. "I don't know about a _gift_ but..." She took a breath to calm herself as she told her husband's friend, "Pa and I tried to keep it a secret; that's why we moved around a lot. Only,in the last five years, it got hard on him. So we settled in Walnut Grove."

Albert asked if he could have another cup of coffee. Rachel was more than happy to get him one. After she handed it to him, Albert took a sip to help calm his nerves then asked, "What...do you _see _ghosts?"

Rachel shook her head and intertwined her fingers with her husband's. "It's more like I can _feel_ them. I can feel what they are feeling, what they are trying to say and ...what I do see...it's like...images...shadows."

Albert looked back at Willie then at Rachel. He could tell that this was no joke. "When did you first know of this?"

For the first time since she sat down, Rachel let go of Willie's hand. She stood back up and walked around the table and she looked at the living room, thought about something then she looked back at Albert then asked, "Look around, what do you see?"

Albert looked around the living room, saw nothing out of the ordinary. The couch was a red velvet love seat and, for the first time, he noticed a matching corner seat on the other side of the fireplace. He looked at the two rocking chairs. They were made out of dark mahogany wood and were beautiful. There was a little plant stand on the right hand side of the door. The rug that lay in the middle of the floor; it looked as if it were the best the mercantile could get. Albert turned his head and looked over in the small kitchen area. The beautiful cabinet that Willie asked Albert's pa to make for Rachel sat against the back wall. Next, Albert looked at the sink, the water pump and the wood stove. There was...nothing out of the ordinary, but there was something...off. It took a moment for Albert to realize what it was. None of the furniture looked like something his friends would want...Harriet, Willie's mother would but not Willie and Rachel.

"Everything looks great Rachel, you're a fine housekeeper." Albert turned his attention to Rachel.

She smiled with pride, but surprised him when she said sadly, "Thank you, but what you don't see is that everything is brand new. There is no hand me down furniture...nothing from my parents, grandmother, aunts, uncle...everything is fresh from the store. She sighed and continued, "It made Willie's mother happy...but we would rather have something else."

Albert looked confused. He knew Willie had finally found his backbone when it came to his mother, and Rachel was no pushover. If they didn't want any of the furniture, why on earth had they bought it? "Why don't you?"

She started walking around the living room again. "Albert , everything I touch, everything I sit on...just lightly touch, I can often get ...impressions, memories...of the person who sat on a couch or a bench, at a table or whatever..."

Albert's eyes widened and he gulped. "What?"

Both she and Willie nodded their heads, insuring him Rachel was telling the truth. "It's true. Because of it, I'm very careful about what I touch and where I am. I mean, I never know when it will happen."

Albert was curious and asked her, "When did this start?"

"When I turned twelve," Rachel took a deep breath, "my grandmother died...I never met her but when I touched an old dress of hers I saw the...shadows. I told my mother; she was still alive at that time. I told her how her mother died. She didn't know what to think, but told me not to worry about it." Rachel sighed again and explained, "We didn't until we got word a few months later that it was exactly like I told her."

Albert looked at Willie then back at Rachel then asked, "What did you do when you realized you really did have this gift?"

Rachel sighed and sat down, pushed a strand of hair out-of-the-way and answered, "We tried to keep it a secret. We moved around a lot, but then my mother died. Father just lost the motivation to keep moving around, so we settled in Walnut Grove." She smiled and looked at Willie, placed her hand over his and said, "Thank God we did."

Albert smiled at the love he could see between his friend. He kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the moment but then Rachel said, "I'm just careful where I am and what I touch. When I'm at the café, I might stumble and have to touch a table. If I do see anything, I only get an impression of what kind of person I just served really was."

Albert looked at Willie and asked, "What about in church? Have you ever seen anything there?"

Rachel looked at her husband before looking back at Albert and answered, "A couple of times, I did. One of those times I saw a funeral. You were there. You were younger, and it was a man in a coffin. I heard a balding white-haired man standing at the pulping, and I heard him say the name of Lars Hansen."

She looked at her husband again and then back at Albert. The color drained from Albert's face as she asked , "Are you all right?"

Albert barely nodded his head in reply to her question. Slowly, he turned his head and looked at the handcuffs on the wall, the only "old" item in the house. "Have you touched them?"

Rachel shook her head, "No."

"Why did you bring them here, Willie?" Albert asked curiously.

Willie took a sip of his coffee and thought for a moment. "I really don't know. Something just told me to...but I couldn't tell you. I was afraid you wouldnt think I was crazy."

Albert smiled as he knew the feeling. "Just like I thought you would if I told you what I saw."

Rachel got up and went to the stove. She poured herself a cup of coffee and walked back to the kitchen table to sit down. "What did you see Albert?"

He hesitated to tell her. He looked at Willie who just shrugged his shoulders then took a sip of his coffee so Albert sighed then told them, "What I saw...at first I wasn't sure what it was. Only, the more it formed, the more I realized I was looking at a man. I could see through him, but I could tell he was definitely a man. He was tall, had black hair...and no eyes. Later, when I saw his picture at his family, I found out that I look a lot like he did at my age."

The shock of what he just said weighed heavily in the room. Willie and Rachel looked at each other when Albert asked, "W...would you touch those handcuffs now?"

Rachel looked at Willie and then nodded her head. Willie got up, went over to where the cuffs hung on a nail and retrieved them. He took them over to his wife and put them down in front of her. She looked down at tem, looked at both men then slowly, cautiously , touched it. The instant she did she got a picture...a blood red image of a man's arm with cuts in both arms, blood flowing like a waterfall into the ocean. She let out a small gasp, pushed the cuffs away then stood up. Willie looked at her, as did Albert. You saw something , what was it?"

Rachel's heart beat wildly as she placed her hand on her belly to calm her rattled nerves. "Y...yes, I saw something. I never saw anything like that before."

Willie stood up , put his arm around her. "Maybe we should stop."

Rachel looked at Albert and shook her head, "No, let me do it again."

She sat back in the chair, pulled the chair up closer to the table again, took a breath and slowly reached down and touched the handcuffs again. This time she saw the same image as before, but it became more...pronouced. The arms moved wildly. Rachel saw another image, a crude, handmade knife. The hands on the bloody arms were throwing it around, slashing at something. She also saw blood on the knife; it was dripping from the knife like paint. The knife was then thrust into something else and more blood was on the knife. The image disappeared, and she took her hands off the handcuffs. "I don't know how I know exactly but ...those handcuffs were not Zach's. I saw a knife in someone's hand...whoever was holding the knife cut somebody..." Rachel stammered, her face a bit ashen.

Albert and Willie stared at Rachel. "Who? Who was cut?"

She looked at Albert and answered, "I don't know."

Willie looked at his friend. "What are you going to do now Albert?"

Albert shrugged his shoulders and answered softly, "I don't know."

**A/N-I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please read and review!**

**Sand n' Sable**


	6. Chapter 6 Madame Rosaria

The weather was getting colder day by day, so Rachel walked into the abandoned prison feeling the winter air all around her, the brown coat she was wearing was helping, but not by wished she wore her heavier coat but she hadn't dreamt it was this cold. Her husband Willie and their friend Albert were with her, as she walked. The three heard the crunch of the leaves on the ground that had come in from the fallen beams on the roof and through holes in the walls.

She looks up at Albert who is walking ahead of her. She knew he was looking around, looking at things more closely, as he looked around the prison. Rachel looked at the corner where she stood. She was at the end of a hallway that leads down to the prison yard. She put her hand and saw an image of two men fighting. The fight was a brutal fight. The same knife she saw when she put her handcuffs was being used. She saw the knife cut into somebody's flesh and she saw blood squirting out like she has seen when her Pa would cut a pig for slaughter.

She took her hand off the wall, turned to Albert then said, "Albert! It happened here!"

He walked over to her, looking down at the ground to make sure not to trip over anything that be on the floor. Willie came up behind her as Albert asked her, "What? What happened?"

She took a breath to calm herself, sighed then said, "I think...this is where Zack had the fight and lost his eyes."

The moment she said that, Albert looked behind her and Zack's ghost slowly appeared to him. He looked just like before, in torn prison clothes, blood surrounding his eyes. His lips were pressed together in anger, and it seemed to Albert like Zack nodded his head as to confirm was Rachel just said. Then Rachel looked up at Albert and asked, "He's here, isn't he?"

Albert looked at Willie then nodded his head then said, "Yes."

Before any of them could say another word, the wind started blowing though the old, broken down prison. The leaves started flying up into the air and all around them. Rachel and Willie closed their eyes, trying to keep the dirt that was also flying around out of their eyes. Rachel grabbed hold of the broken window where she was. Willie stumbled back while Zack's ghost flashed several times. Albert saw something he would never forget...Zack held out his arm, which glowed several times, it was a color that Albert couldn't describe. It was blue with white in it . Then he thrust his arm forward and punched a hole in the wall.

Rachel screamed at the sound of the wall breaking. Willie opened his eyes and watched as the ghost disappeared. THe wind died down, and the leaves settled in place. The three friends all tried to catch their breath as Albert said, "I understand that he is angry over losing his eyes, but why is he so angry at me? Because I look like him?"

Rachel looked at Albert then said, "He has no eyes, Albert, he wouldn't know what you look like. Besides, I don't think he's angry at you Albert. It's...it's more like frustration since he can't talk to us."

Willie shook the dirt out of his hair then he said, " What on earth can we do to make it so he can talk to us?"

Rachel, who had her attention on her husband, turned her face to her friend, "Albert?"

"Yes?" He asked, wondering what she was going to say.

She took a deep breath as she continued. "Albert, you see Zack already; I don't think it would take much for you to communicate with him.

Albert's eyes grow wide as he stared at her. "What? Oh no, no...

Willie took a few steps, reached out and grabbed his friend's arm and said, "Albert, you started this...you need to find your answers."

Albert looked in the eyes of his friend then at Rachel then nodded his head then he asked, "How do...what do I do to...talk to him?"

Albert looked over at Willie, and then at Rachel again. Slowly Albert nodded his head. "How do...what do you think I need to do to ...talk to him?"

Willie looked at Rachel when he heard Albert's question and then looked at Albert. Rachel couldn't answer the question, as she had no idea.

(((oOo)))

A few days later, Albert walked around the town of Walnut Grove. He looked around the small, picturesque town and he saw snowdrifts around different areas but mostly on the roofs of the buildings around town; the mercantile, '_Caroline's'_ restaurant, along the roof and stairs leading to the school. He looked over at the mill. The mill had closed down because of the frozen water stopping the wheel...something the owner would soon take care of Albert was sure. He looked over at the small pond in front of Doc Baker's; it was frozen. THe was also snow in the corner of the post office. Albert turned his attention to the mercantile as she walked up the steps. He heard the bell over the door ringing as he opened the door and entered the store. He saw a woman talking to mister and Mrs. Olsen. The woman was tall with black hair. She wore a flaming red coat; her black hair was pulled in a bun, and she had a silk scarf wrapped around the bun. When he got closer to the stranger, he could see that she was a young woman, probably in her late 20's. Her skin was olive colored, and she had on plenty of colorful bracelets and rings. It was obvious that she was a gypsy. Also from the accent in her voice, Albert figured she was originally from Italy. He listened as the gypsy talked with Harriet. "I tell you, I can help you."

Mrs. Olsen stood behind the counter and she made a rather childish face. "And I told you to leave; you are _not_ welcomed here."

The gypsy woman stands back and looked at Mrs. Olsen in disgust then she said, "_** I**_ am not welcomed here?"

Mrs. Olsen stood straight and she glared at the woman then said, "NO, not your kind ! You are a witch!"

The strange woman looked at Mrs. Olsen then at Mister Olsen who took a breath, doing his best to be more polite than his wife had been. "I'm sorry, if my wife has asked you to leave, you need to leave."

The woman looked at the both of them hard and then she said slowly, "You are both fools ! And you..." She points at Nels Olsen then finished her sentence, "You are the biggest fool of all letting her lead you around by your nose like a dog! Do you not know that the men of this town pity you like they would a broken calf? I see nothing but sadness around you, sadness from others that pity you ! And you!..." She then pointed to Mrs. Olsen then said, "You have a heart of ice!" She turned in a huff then marched off to the door. But before she opened it, the young woman turned to look back at Mr & Mrs. Olsen then shouted out, "I see nothing but terrible things for this place because you have turned away the sightings of Madame Rosaria !" She then finally left the mercantile in a huff.

Albert turned his head and looked back at Nels and Harriet then he asked, "WHO was that?"

Harriet took a few minutes to calm down, put her hand over her heart then made a "ugh" noise then said, "Oh, it was one of those gypsy tramps trying to steal around here!"

Nels looked at his wife with a 'Oh, grow up' look in his eyes. He then turned his attention to Albert. "She came here to try to get us to pay for one of those 'readings' they give. Harriet told her no, but she was really pressing the issue. And, well, you saw her reaction when we told her to get out of here."

Harriet then jumped into the conversation and asked, "What are you here for Albert?"

Albert reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "Ma sent me in here with this list to get these items." He handed the list to Mrs. Olson.

Harriet gave him one of her fake smiled and said, "Ah, yes, well, I'll get started on this right away."

Just then a loud crash happens in the back and Nels runs to the store-room and his jaw dropped open, a huge hole is in the roof, boards are on the floor with snow on them, boards barely hanging also then he said, "The snow caused the roof to collapse!"

Then the wood heater that sat in the middle of the store giving off heat, suddenly bursts open, fire sparks fly into the room and a small piece of burning coal falls to the ground, Albert doesn't waste any time, he runs over, grabs a red blanket on a sales table nearby then smothers the flames out.

Next thing they know, a huge rock comes flying through the window, breaking a kerosene lamp.

Harriet made a face then put her hand over her face while Albert and Nels look on in shock.

(((oOo)))

A few hours later, the door to Albert's little home opened up and in came Albert holding a box full of groceries, he announces, "Ma, I'm home!" Caroline looked at him then quickly went over and closed the door to keep out the cold wind . He put the crate on the table then said, "Here you go Ma."

She smiled then said, "Good, I can finish the cake I'm making ."

Just then Cassandra came down from the loft and she said, "Thank you for making the cake Ma."

Caroline went over to her daughter, kissed her on the forehead then said, "You're welcome Cassandra."

Albert smiled then he said, "Now that you have the groceries Ma, I'm going to go for a walk, I may go over Pilgrims pond."

Just then Albert heard his sister Carrie, "You're going walking in this? It's too cold!"

He looked up and Carrie was standing by the rails, looking down at him then he said, "It isn't that cold and this is a good jacket."

Cassandra then said, "I'm staying inside, I have some pictures I want to draw."

Carrie smiled then said, "And I have some stories to go with them."

James came in from the back with a bucket of water for his mother then he said, "Here Ma."

Caroline looked at her youngest son, goes over to get it then said lovingly,

"Well, I wish you all get to someplace, I got a floor to scrub."

James smiled then said, "I'm going to go meet some of the fellows and hang out."

Carrie came over to the other side of the room and said, "You boys are crazy to go out."

James made a face then said, "Girls."

Carrie and Cassandra start to say something when Caroline, fed up with the small brother/sister squabbling, stepped in then said, "Nobody won't be going anyway because they will be staying in their rooms if they don't stop, so..."

James understands his mother's words then he perked up and said, "Bye Ma!" He then ran out the back door off to do whatever he was going to do with his friends. Cassandra goes on up the stairs to the loft, Albert shifts his coat around and turns and gets a scarf from the coat rack on the wall, puts it on, turns around then said, "Bye Ma." She smiled lovingly at her oldest son then takes the bucket of water into the kitchen.

Outside, Albert looked around the farm, buttoned up his blue coat to the neck then took out walking up the road. He had his mind on something as he walked closer to town, he looked around but the only things he saw was snow where there used to be grass, he looked up at the bare trees and the light snow falling from the sky.

That was when he saw it, rings of smoke coming from someplace. He knew there wasn't any houses in the area so he went to investigate. When he got up to the top of the ridge, that's when he saw it, a gypsy caravan with the gold lettering, "Madame Rosaria." The gypsy caravan was small and the rest of it was red. It had a tin roof and three steps leading to the only door in the back. He saw her small campfire that she had, rocks circled it and Albert noticed the fire dying out.

He walked down to it, took a breath then knocked on the door, a female voice said, "Come in." He opened the door, walked in and he looked in amazement at everything.

It was nothing like he had thought, well, really he didn't know what he thought. Would it be dark? Some mysterious, scary place? This was far from it, the wood work in the place was amazing ! And it was very ornamental, there was gold flourish decorations everywhere, the bed was in the back and there was two small doors underneath, he wasn't sure but he wondered if it was for another smaller bed. There was a small window above the sink on the left wall then beside it was the heater, it was a small one but just right for this place. There was a plush rug on the floor, he saw a rocking chair that sat around the heater then he looked at the table in front of him, it was a round table with just two chairs surrounding it. A crystal ball was in the middle.

Just then, some curtains opened up and there stood Madame Rosaria. She still looked basically like she did at the store, except her hair wasn't in a bun anymore, she had it loose, she was a beautiful woman. Her nose was small and perky, her eyes were round and black but there was no anger in them like there was at the mercantile, she even smiled when she saw him. The smile was strange and it made him feel strange, it made him nervous but still at ease, it was a strange feeling.

She slowly walked around then said, "I know you. You were at the store when that woman and man kicked me out."

Albert took a breath then he said, "Yes, I was."

She then stood in front of him, looked at him for a good long minute then asked, "What are you here for? It is not for a reading, no?"

He looked at her then asked, "How do you know?"

She just smirked at him, moved her hand around and pointed to it for him to sit down then she said as a matter of fact, "I know."

He sat down then she said, "I am Rosaria, I was given strongest powers of my family. I knew things my mama did not, or her mama so that is why I am here. I will help you, no?"

He looked around the room wondering what he should say then finally he said, "I don't know."

Suddenly her black eyes went wide then she said, "You are very powerful too."

He looked at her, his heart beating faster with every word then he asked, "I am?"

She nodded her head then said, "It is something that even I do not do, it is very rare."

He looked directly at her then asked another question, "What?"

"You see the dead." She said. Her words hung in the small room then he slowly nodded his head then asked, "What is it called?"

She sat back, sighed then said, "In my country, you are a perspicia, a sentiveto but over here you are a clairvoyant."

He sat back then he said, "Well, now I know the word but...now, I need to know how to..."

She looked at him then asked, "Yes?"

He took his time in answering then said, "To talk to...the dead."

She looked at him then said, "That is something I can not help you with, it has to come within yourself."

He thought about that then asked, "But how?"

"Your familia." She said then Albert said, "My family would not understand."

She shook her head, smiled then said, "Not famila that lives, that breathes among us..."

She looked out the window, looked at the mountains in the distance, the last of the soft snow that fell to the ground, the grey in the sky then said, "I saw graveyard in town, no? Your famila is buried there?"

Albert nodded his head then said, "Some."

She stood up then said, "Go to them."

He looked up at her then asked, "What?"

She smiled down at him then said, "Go to them, they will help you."

He stood up, he wasn't sure what she meant but he said, "I will."

She then turned to go to the back of the caravan then he asked, "What do I owe you?"

She looked at him then shook her head, "No money, I gave you help."

Albert didn't want to argue, he just smiled, nodded his head then turned to leave then she said,

"Albert."

He looked at her in shock because he didn't say his name,

"Do not think just because you are adopted, your famila cannot help you."

His mind reels because he KNOWS he didn't say anything about being adopted so he shook his head then mumbles a quick, "Thank you", he then turns and leaves.

(((oOo)))

He finally got into the town of Walnut Grove, he looked around at the near empty town. He looked around, he saw Mister Olson putting a wagon wheel tarp over the hole in the storage shed the he saw a boy running around town playing in the snow. He then looked at the schoolhouse, it was empty being on a Saturday. His eyes took him to the small church graveyard to the left of the school, he saw a bench that the school kids sat on at lunch time that is directly in front of the graves. He knew from his own time in school that the kids didn't like it but it was there anyway.

He went over and sat down, he looked at all the graves, some small and some long. Then his eyes settled on two that he knew personally...Charlotte and Frederick Holbrook. They were his mother's parents, Charlotte died when he was fourteen, they were coming to visit and she died en route so he had never met his grandmother but he was close for several months to his adopted grandfather and when he died, it was expensive but friends and family got together to be able to put his body on a train and bury him next to his longtime wife.

He wasn't sure what he should do but he sat there. He sat there until the cold around him left, and he felt warmth, warmth that only the summer sun could give but it was December in the heart of winter but his eyes didn't move from the grave marker. Suddenly he heard scratching like a dog digging and he started to look around but he didn't look, then a few minutes later, he felt somebody watching him to the left of him and he slowly looked and...it was his grandfather looking at him full of love with his blue eyes.


End file.
